A Place To Call Her Own
by tropicalgirlie
Summary: Just a little ficlet that I decided to start, picking up right after Will leaves Elizabeth at the end of POTC3. Follows the plot except for Elizabeth does not get pregnant with Will's child in my story...read on! M for later chapters, language, etc...


**Hey friends…so this is obviously NOT a HP fic. My muse has been useless the past couple weeks for those stories (don't worry though, I haven't abandoned them.) I was watching POTC 1 and 3 this weekend, and decided to try my hand at one of these. I have no idea where it will go from here, but I just couldn't get this thought out of my head…so I hope you enjoy, and I hope I can reach some POTC readers who might not have read any of my HP fics.**

**As always, I don't own anything…except this computer, and no profit is made, blah blah blah…**

Elizabeth stood on the beach until well after sunset, watching the place on the horizon where the Flying Dutchman had vanished in a flash of green light. The chest next to her a constant reminder of the fact that Will was alright; his heart beating contentedly from inside its locked home. She felt some relief with that fact, but something in her felt empty. Aside from the fact that the love of her life, her husband and best friend would be absent from existence for the next ten years, Elizabeth seemed to feel alone…more alone than she'd ever felt in her life.

As the stars appeared in the velvety blackness, Elizabeth sat down on the sand, thinking over the happenings over the last several years. She chuckled ruefully at the events that had forever changed her life. Had she been able to go back in time to speak to her former self, she would have never believed that she would be sitting here on this island, married to the captain of the Flying Dutchman, a captain herself and King of the pirate lords…it would be laughable if it weren't true. It had been terrifying, exciting, funny, devastating and life changing, and she had relished every minute of it.

Now, however, it felt as though her adventures were over. Will had left her to attend his duties that his new position demanded. Jack was off on his next treasure hunt, probably not yet knowing what that treasure would be. Barbossa was no doubt along for the ride, cursing Jack and the crew at every decision and turn. The rest of the pirate lords had returned to their homes as heroes of their fellow men; the seas were once again free for them. Elizabeth was proud to have been part of that end; she had learned long ago that what is right isn't always easy, and what is easy isn't always right, and she knew that she had made the right decision in helping the men and women she'd met since her journey from Port Royale. They were free and going home. This thought made Elizabeth's heart sink. She had no home to return to.

Her father was dead, murdered by a man that thankfully, Elizabeth thought to herself, had gotten his just desserts. The Endeavor now rested in pieces at the bottom of the ocean, a reminder of darker days now hopefully gone forever.

Elizabeth leaned against a large rock behind her, feeling its cool strength behind her, holding her up. It comforted her. She hadn't known the softness of her down mattress and silk sheets of home in such a long time, the thought of going back to such a life left an odd taste in her mouth. She had gotten so used to sand in her boots, a blade at her hip and planks under her feet that she really couldn't imagine going back to her old life. And she kept asking herself the same question…

Did she really want to?

The sound of a rough surf woke her the next morning. Rubbing her eyes blearily she glanced across the ocean to where the sky met the sea. There wasn't a ship in sight, nor a bird or a cloud. With a sigh she stood up, stretching a crick in her neck. Realizing she was still barefoot, she pulled on her flats that she'd worn since Singapore. Taking hold of the chest she glanced at the ocean one more time. "Goodbye, Will." She closed her eyes, feeling the warm sea air caress her cheeks, then with one final look, she turned around and began walking towards her future.

It wasn't until late afternoon that she found a fresh water stream and several fruit trees. Not knowing where she was, she didn't know where to look for provisions. She drank greedily and gorged on the bananas and berries that she found. After a good half an hour of walking, she found the stream's source; a small pool of water bubbling out from the rocks below. Carefully setting down the chest, she stripped of the scraps of her dress and lowered herself gently into the cool water.

It was absolutely heaven. Elizabeth tipped her head back, drenching her tresses in the water, letting the sweat and salt and sand wash away. She rinsed out her clothing and lay it out to dry in the sun, then carried on bathing herself.

She splashed water on her face, letting it drip down her neck and disappear back to its source. Running her fingers up and down her arms, she was reminded of the day before. Will's touch had been rough, but his actions gentle. Years of working as a blacksmith and then later on the deck of a ship had kept his skin rough, but Elizabeth had loved it. Her heart sped up as she thought of their time together over the last forty eight hours. She had never experienced anything like making love for the first time. It had been magical and wonderful, yet sad at the same time. She knew she wouldn't get to have him again for such a long time. Maybe never again. Ten years was a long time, and no one, not even she, could plan where her life would be in ten years. She no longer had maids and butlers and servants planning her every move. She had no schedule and no agenda. She didn't know how to feel about that.

Finally a chill began to set into her skin, and she finally climbed out of the water. The breeze was blowing, and it didn't take long for her to dry off and she quickly pulled on her clothes and set off again, trying to get some clue as to where she was.

It didn't take very long to find what she was looking for.

Just as she crested the top of the island and began to make her way back down the other side, she saw it in the distance. A dinghy with a single sail pulled out of the water just onto the beach. Not knowing who it belonged to, she made her way cautiously down to the sand, pulling her sword out of its sheath and held it tight, the chest under her other arm.

By the time she made it down to sea level, the sun was again beginning its descent into the horizon, and there didn't seem to be a soul around. She made her way over to the small vessel, to see that it was empty, save for a half dozen empty rum bottles. She glanced quickly around her. She didn't see anyone, but the telltale footprints in the sand gave the occupant away. She began to follow them, and just as she reached the tree line she heard it. Snoring. Loud snoring coming from underneath a fallen palm frond. Setting down the chest but keeping the sword in hand, she gently moved the greenery out of the way to see –

"Jack?" He lay on his back, unconscious, a nearly empty rum bottle clutched loosely in his left hand. He mouth hung open, his jaw slack. Elizabeth chuckled to herself at the state of him. She knew that waking him up would be impossible, so she couldn't find out what he was doing back here…not to mention wondering where the Black Pearl was. She had scanned the entire horizon from her vantage point on the crest of the island and had seen no signs of a ship.

Making her way back to his dinghy, she picked up several empty bottles and, using the withering light from the sun, made her way back to where her stream had ended, about a ten minutes walk away and filled them to the brim with the cool water. Though he may be immune to the hangover that any normal person would have upon waking up after drinking as much as he did, he would no doubt be dehydrated tomorrow.

She arrived back to where she had found Sparrow just as the sun slid down into the water once again. The air was cooler, but sand was still warm, and after placing the water near Jack, she left the chest there and made her way to the beach. She sat for quite some time watching the waves, silvery in the moonlight, slide up and down the shoreline. She had never felt more alone than she did at this moment. Even with Jack sleeping noisily behind her, she felt that she had no one; no direction and no plan.

It was then that a smile began to creep across her face. No direction and no plan…that sounded to Elizabeth Swann, King of the Brethren Court, to be the start of another adventure.

**So this is my first POTC fic, and I'd love to know what you think. I know that there isn't much here, but let me know if you like the writing style, or have ideas of where the plot bunny should take us. I have a couple ideas, but no concrete ones, and I'd love the feedback.**

**Until next chapter, my lovelies…**

**TG**


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